Combination cap and socket



R. B. BENJAMIN.

COMBINATION CAP A'ND SOCKET. APPLICATION FILED .IIJNEJ, I919.

1,376,068, Paizented Apr. 26, 1921 QWFMQ REUBEN 1B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINUIS, ASSIGNOR T0 BENJAMIN ELEG'INIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CGRPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

ooiunina'rion can AND sooner.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application filed June 7, me. Serial No. scarce.

Improvements in Combination Caps and Sockets, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a combination cap and socket and more particularly to an improved form of combination cap and socket to be utilized as a circuit interrupting medium which is placed in cords, whereby the continuity of the cord will be interrupted or broken at the cap and socket when subjected to accidental strains on the cord. Thus for example, in cords used with household electrical appliances, which appliances are usually used on tables and the like, accidents frequently result due to stumbling over the cord whereby the appliances are pulled by the cord from the table, and very frequently damaged or broken.

' It is one of the objects of this invention to produce an improved form of cap and socket which is composed of a minimum number ofparts and, is exceedingly small, whereby it can be conveniently connected into the cord and whereby the continuity of the cord will be broken at the cap and socket whenthe cord is subjected to accidental strains, and hence the breaking of electrical appliances, due to accidental falls because of such cord strains,'will be sub stantially avoided.

Another object resides in the production of an'improved receptacle to accommodate the contact springs for a device of this char acter which can be assembled into either a cap or socket by the mere proper selection of either cap blades or circuit springs in the assembly operation. In other words, one object consists in the standardization of all parts used in the assembly with the excep tion of the contact springs used either for a socket or cap. This materially reduces the parts which must be maintained and carried in stock in the production of these caps and sockets, and, therefore, obviously, materially reduces the cost of manufacture.

For the purposes of description, a .preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the combination cap and socket, the socket being shown in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the cap taken substantially through the center of said cap;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the cap taken at right angles to the section illustrated in Fig. 2; I

Fig. i is a view in perspective of the lower portion of the spring contact mountingrmeans;

ig. 5 is a view in perspective of the spring contact mounting means, and

Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the contact springs used with the socket and cap respectively. v

As illustrated in the drawings, the housing 10 of both thecap and socket consists of a hollow cylindrical insulating shell 11 having its upper end threaded at 12 and having a neck opening 13 at one end to admit the conductors 14, whereas the other' end is open at 15 to admit the spring mounting plug 16, illustrated in perspective in Fig. 5. The spring mounting plug 16 is fitted at its upper end with a disk 17 which carries on its top face an annular groove 18, in which the upper flange 19 of the metallic'threaded shell 20 rests, which secures the plug 16 in position in the shell 10.

Extending downwardly from the annular flange 17 i the cylindrical portion 21 which snugly fits into the hollow cylindrical housing 10, as illustrated in Fig. 3. This downwardly extending cylindrical portion 21 is slotted at 22 and 23, the said slots serving to receive the socket and cap contact springs.

For the purpose of mounting the contact springs, the bottom face of the slots are fitted with depressions such as 24, which are molded into the cylindrical mounting means 16 when it is originally cast. The extreme lower portion of the cylindrical sprin mounting means 16 is tapered, as indicate at 25, opposite sides of the tapered portions containing arcuated grooves such as 26,which serve to receive the conductors 14:. The

bottom face of the: slots 22 and 23 are also equipped with the "semi-circular grooves 27, these grooves serving to receive a protrusion of hump 28 pn the contact or ack operate withthe protrusions or humps 28 on the blades 29 to hold said blades in position when inserted into the socket, as clearly illustrated in 'Fi 1.

Communicating and interconnected with the slots 22 and 23 are the apertures 30 and 31 positioned in the circular disk 17 constituting the top portion of the spring'mounting block 16. These apertures 30 and 31 serve as the entrance and exit means for the contact plates 28 of the cap when the block 16 is used as a socket device, and are used as the apertures through which the blades 28 extend when the devlce is used as a cap.

The contact springs used for the socket and cap are illustrated in perspective in Figs. 6 and 7 respectively. As there shown, the contact spring 34 used with the socket comprises a spring which is bent into a loop 35 which gives said spring the necessary amount of resilience, so that when the contact plate 29 is inserted into the apertures 30 and 31 it will press the downwardly extending end 36 of' said loop back toward the upwardly extending portion 37 of said loop and permit the plate 29 to ride between the face of the downwardly extending portion 36 andthe bottom face of the slot cut in the spring mounting plug 16. When the blade 28 is thus inserted, the hump or projection 28 of said blade will ride in the semi-circular slots 27 when the cap has been pushed completely home.

To assemble either a socket or cap a standardized housing 10 and a standardized mountin block 16 are selected. The standardized lock 16 is then fitted with either the contact springs 34 or the contact blades 28, dependin upon whether a socket or cap is desired. he block 16 is then inserted in the housing 10, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, after which the metallic. sleeve or shell 20 equipped, with the threads 41, is screw-threaded down on the threads 12 of the housing 10, thereby positively securing the mounting block 16 in place in the housing 10 when the flange 19 of said metallic shell 20 rides in the annular groove 18 of the circular disk 17 comprising the top portion of the mounting block 16.

When it is desired to connect either a cap or shell in circuit or insert the combination cap and shell into a cord, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the apparatus is disassembled by removing the shell 20 to disconnect the parts.

The incl'osing insulation 43 of the conduc tors 14 is then slitted, after which the housing 10 is fitted over the conductors 14 and the inclosing insulation 43 by sliding the said housing through the aperture 13 in one end of the housing. The bared ends ofthe conductors are then connected to either the spring contacts 36 of the socket or the blades 29 of the. cap by securing them to said extending portion 45 of the braided exteriorcovering or insulation of the conductors 14 is held in position by the binding action which results between the conductors 14 and the inner forwardly protruding circular edge 48 of the neck of the housing, which constitutes the upper extremity of the aperture 43 leading into the housing 10. This binding action between the conductors and this edge 48 is caused by the tapered end 25 which is forced between the conductors 14 as the shell 40 is pushed into position and exerts a binding action on the top face 17 of the spring mounting block 16. This spreading of the conductors-the conductors lying in the arcuated grooves 26 of said tapered endcauses the conductors to rigidly secure the insulation 48 in position as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and prevents the slipping back of the exterior covering 43 in the conductors 40, which would, in all probagillisy, result if this insulation was not so Likewise, this binding action on the conductors 14 serves as a cord grip to positively hold the conductors in position and prevents any strain on the connection made at the spring contacts; all strains on the conductor being received by the conductor wires at the binding point between the inner surface of the shell 10 and the mounting block 16, as hereinbefore described. This relieves the electrical connection between the conductors and its springs from all strains, and thus prevents a loosening of the connection due to external cord strains.

It will now be evident from the foregoing description that when a combination cap and socket or separable connector'made in accordance with the teachings of this invention, is inserted in a cord and a strain is subjected to said cord which approaches a magnitude suflicient to displace the electrical appliance connected to said cord, that the continuity of this said cord will be broken at the separate connection or cap and socket before said force attains a magnitude sufiicient to actually displace the electrical appliance connected to the cord.

Likewise, it will be apparent from the foregoing description that the separable cap and socket, as herein described, are made of standardized parts of minimum size, the cap and socket differing from one another merely in the form of spring contact utisocket is such that it can be made of mini-" mum size and thus readily inserted into, a

cord as a separable connection without being in combination,

unsightly and, due to its small size, without adding any material weight to the cord. The parts, such as the housing and mounting, are preferably constructed of molded insulation and the shell 20 of stamped sheet metal, and consequently the entire 7 apparatus will be comparatively light as compared with the standard forms of separable connections now in use.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated,

and described, but. is capable of many vari ations and applications within its spirit and scope, as set forth in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure'by Letl the other end of said block being tapered} ters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described,

a hollow cylindrical housing open at each end, a substantially cylindrlcal spring contact mounting block fitted in said hollow cylinder, said blockbeing fitted with slots to receive contact springs,

means to associate said housing and block inassembled relation, said block being fitted at one end with openings to permit the entrance and exit of contact sprlngs, the other end of said block being tapered and fitted withfarcuated slots, said arcuated slots fitneck of said cylindrical housing,

ting in a the tapered slot arcuated ends ofsaid block and the neck of said housing co-acting to serve as a cord grip for wires adapted to be secured to the contact springs secured to said block. I

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a hollow cylindrical housing open at each end,

a substantially cy1in-.

drical spring contact mounting block fitted in said housing, said block being fitted with,

slots to receive contact springs, threads fitted on the exterior peripheral surface of one end of said housing, operating with the threads on said housing, adaptedto maintain said housing and said block in assembled relation, said block being fitted at one end with openings to permit the entrance and exit. of contact springs,

adapted to be secured to the contact springs secured to said block.

= In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

REUBEN n; BENJAMIN.

a threaded shell 60- f 

